Is fake meat better for you than real meat? Here’s what we do – and don’t – know
Fake meats are lower in saturated fat than red meat but contain more sodium. But experts say their long-term health effects remain unclear. So where does that leave fake-meat burgers, sausages, nuggets and other products sold by companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods? They are made from plants like soya beans and peas, but they are also highly processed.
HOW DO THEIR NUTRIENTS COMPARE?
The nutrient profiles of fake-meat products can vary widely, but two scientific reviews, both published in 2024, suggest a few patterns.
Compared with regular meat like ground beef, pork sausages and chicken, the plant-based versions typically have fewer saturated fats (a category of fats that have been linked to heart disease) and similar or slightly lower levels of protein.
A four-ounce (113g) burger made with 85 per cent lean ground beef, for instance, contains 6.5 grams of saturated fat. An equivalent size Impossible Burger has a little less than that (six grams of saturated fat), and a Beyond Burger has a lot less (just two grams). On the other hand, a Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger has nearly 40 per cent more saturated fat (nine grams) when compared with ground beef.
When it comes to protein levels, the burgers are a lot more similar: The beef patty has 21 grams of protein, while the three plant-based versions have between 19 and 21 grams.
HOW MIGHT FAKE-MEATS AFFECT HEALTH?
In two small studies that investigated the health effects of replacing real meat with plant-based alternatives like those from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, Dr Hu said, researchers reported mixed results.
One study, published in 2024, found that when 40 people in Singapore ate 2.5 servings of plant-based burgers, sausages or chicken per day for two months, they were no healthier than the 42 other participants who had similar amounts of real meat during the same time period. The researchers used fake meat products from Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, OmniMeat (based in Hong Kong) and The Vegetarian Butcher (based in Britain). That study was funded by an agricultural research firm in Hong Kong that did not have a vested interest in the outcome, the study’s lead author said.
In another study – this one funded by Beyond Meat and published in 2020 – researchers found some benefits associated with plant-based meats. Thirty-six healthy adults consumed about 2.5 servings of real meat per day for two months, and about 2.5 servings of plant-based products from Beyond Meat per day for another two months. At the end of the plant-based phase, the participants had lower cholesterol – and were a few pounds lighter – compared with the end of the real meat phase.
| how healthy are you | ten out of 10 |
| how healthy are you | nine out of 10 |
| what is fake meat? | is it healthy? |
